The present invention relates to a fluid flow system and a method for sensing the flow of fluid through a fluid meter in the system, and, more particularly, to such a system and method in which the sensing is performed externally of the meter.
In fluid flow systems in which fluid is pumped through a network, of conduits and a meter is provided for metering the fluid flow, there is often a need to determine whether or not fluid is actually flowing through the meter independently of any display associated with the meter. However, this is impossible in connection with many modern fluid meters that have no exposed moving parts that car be observed to tell whether or not there is, in fact, fluid flow through the meter. Therefore, when the pump associated with the flow system is supposedly on, yet the display associated with the meter is not registering, the service technician does not know for sure whether or not the pump is functioning and the display is malfunctioning, or whether the pump is actually malfunctioning. This is especially critical in connection with a fluid flow system for a hazardous fluid, such as gasoline that is dispensed through a dispensing station at a service station.
Although several devices have been proposed to detect whether or not fluid is flowing through a meter, most of these devices require a probe, or the like, that has to be inserted into a meter. This requires a disassembly of the meter which is labor intensive, time consuming, and costly.
Therefore, what is needed is a fluid flow system and a method for sensing fluid flow through a meter in the system without having to insert a sensor in the meter.